Forward Deployed Engineer

Zendesk; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Zendesk seeks a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) to be embedded with our most strategic customers, solving their highest‑stakes technical blockers and delivering measurable ROI through AI agents and data pipelines.

You will own discovery, scoping, system design, and production rollout of complex AI solutions, writing critical code and ensuring seamless integration with legacy stacks. A true blend of software engineering and strategic consulting drives success.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience writing production‑grade code.
• Proficiency in Python for AI/Data and JavaScript/TypeScript for frontend/integrations.
• Full‑stack mindset from React UIs to REST/GraphQL APIs, cloud infrastructure (AWS) and Metaflow.
• Deep understanding of the LLM ecosystem and model evaluation.
• Ability to explain architectural trade‑offs to a CTO while pair‑programming.

Responsibilities

• Drive end-to-end deployments of Zendesk’s AI Agents and LLM workflows.
• Troubleshoot complex blockers beyond standard Support scope.
• Design and code bespoke integrations and agents with clients.
• Bridge gaps between customer IT teams and Zendesk Product/Engineering.

Skills

Production-grade code

Python

JavaScript/TypeScript

REST/GraphQL APIs

AWS

React

Tools

Ruby

Java

Metaflow

Job description

Job Description

Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) – AI & Solutions

As a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), you are part of an elite technical hybrid—part software engineer, part strategic consultant. You don’t just sell the dream; you build the reality.

You will be embedded with our most strategic customers to solve their most complex, high-stakes technical blockers. Whether it’s architecting a multi-layered AI agent, building custom data pipelines for Zendesk, or integrating our AI capabilities into a legacy tech stack, you are the “boots on the ground” builder who ensures our technology delivers measurable ROI.

What You’ll Do

• Drive Outcomes and own the “Last Mile” of AI: Lead complex end-to-end deployments of Zendesk’s AI Agents and LLM-powered workflows. You own the discovery, technical scoping, system design, and production rollout.

• Troubleshoot the “Unsolvable”: Remove technical blockers and act as the final line of defense for complex technical escalations that fall outside the scope of standard Support or Professional Services.

• Build Bespoke Agentic Solutions: Work directly with strategic clients to design and code custom integrations and agents. You will personally write critical code, configure RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) architectures, and ensure seamless integration with legacy tech stacks.

• Bridge the Gap: Work between the customer’s IT team and Zendesk’s core Product/Engineering teams. You are the field’s voice, turning customer friction into product roadmap features.

What You Bring

• The “Founder” Mentality: You thrive in ambiguity. You can walk into a messy customer environment, map their undocumented APIs, and find a path to victory without a playbook.

• Engineering Rigor: 5+ years of experience writing production‑grade code. Proficiency in Python (for AI/Data) and JavaScript/TypeScript (for frontend/integrations) is required. Familiarity with Ruby or Java (Zendesk’s core) is a plus.

• Full‑Stack Mindset: Comfortable navigating the entire stack—from React‑based UIs to REST/GraphQL APIs, cloud infrastructure (AWS) and Metaflow

• AI Fluency: Deep understanding of the LLM ecosystem. You know how to evaluate model performance, manage context windows, and implement guardrails for enterprise‑grade AI.

• Communication: Ability to explain complex architectural trade‑offs to a CTO while simultaneously pair‑programming with a customer’s lead dev.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Zendesk and AI Agents

• Background in FDE, Professional Services or Technical Account Management implementing complex systems

• Ability to travel 25-50% of the time, as needed to customer sites

The US annualized OTE (On Target Earnings) range for this position is $200,000.00-$300,000.00 with a pay mix of 80/20 (base/commission). This position may also be eligible for bonus, benefits, or related incentives. While this range reflects the minimum and maximum value for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations, the offer for the successful candidate for this position will be based on job related capabilities, applicable experience, and other factors such as work location. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only (or OTE for commissions based roles), and do not include bonus, benefits, or related incentives.

The intelligent heart of customer experience

Zendesk software was built to bring a sense of calm to the chaotic world of customer service. Today we power billions of conversations with brands you know and love.

Zendesk believes in offering our people a fulfilling and inclusive experience. Our hybrid way of working, enables us to purposefully come together in person, at one of our many Zendesk offices around the world, to connect, collaborate and learn whilst also giving our people the flexibility to work remotely for part of the week.

As part of our commitment to fairness and transparency, we inform all applicants that artificial intelligence (AI) or automated decision systems may be used to screen or evaluate applications for this position, in accordance with Company guidelines and applicable law.

Zendesk is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster global diversity, equity, & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment and employees at Zendesk are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are an AA/EEO/Veterans/Disabled employer. If you are based in the United States and would like more information about your EEO rights under the law, please click here.

Zendesk endeavors to make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities and disabled veterans pursuant to applicable federal and state law. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to submit this application, complete any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participate in the employee selection process, please send an e-mail to [e-mail] with your specific accommodation request.